Over the next half an hour, Aarush and Dr. Roshni explained their need to use the unborn child's blood in the ritual so that the princesses of the kingdom could be saved from the upcoming peril. Rajshri didn't ask too many questions and was willing to help them in whichever way she could, but she was still a bit reluctant about them using her child's blood, for she didn't know if it was even safe for the foetus.

But once Dr. Roshni assured the woman of the complete safety of the baby and that extracting a few drops of the blood should not harm the foetus in any way, Rajshri immediately agreed to the proposition.

A sudden bout of reverence for the woman hit Aarush, and his gaze softened as he peered at her. "I can never express enough gratitude, Rajshri."

Rajshri's palms were joined together in supplication. "It's the other way around, Your Highness. You have shown immense faith in me and supported me when I needed it the most. You have given me a new lease on life, provided me with the warmth of a home, and assured me of the security of my child. Dharamraj was right about you." Tears welled in her eyes. "You are a great man, bound to do great things."

Aarush had an awkward smile on his face due to the string of praises heaped on him, and he could only bob his head in acceptance.

Leaving the doctor and the woman in the former's chamber, Aarush, Jagdish, and Shreya made their way towards Agni Bhawan. The procedure for the extraction of blood was going to take twenty to thirty minutes, which could be utilized in setting up Meera's chamber for the ritual.

The bolted door outside Meera's room looked back at them, the massive metallic lock hanging from the iron hoops fastened to the wooden panels. Much to Shreya's surprise, Jagdish had forbidden Aarush from bringing anyone else along for the ritual, and he even went ahead himself to seek the keys to the room from the government officers sitting in the archaeological office within the campus. So, it was only the three of them with Jagdish now unlocking the door and throwing it open while Aarush had a scowl on his face.

The wooden door creaked when it was pushed aside, and a whiff of dust mingled with damp air hit their nostrils. Shreya gulped when she discerned how Aarush's visage had hardened and how the vein on his forehead was twitching. He had clenched his fists and glimpsed away when he saw her keenly peering at him.

Jagdish sighed and stepped inside, wheeling around the spot as his eyes went to each and every corner of the chamber. "Princess Meera's chambers. It remains locked all the time and hence the," he grimaced at the mass of cobwebs on the roof, "ill maintenance."

Aarush hesitated from going in. "Should I ask someone to clean it up before the ritual?"

"No," Jagdish said. "It will not be needed."

Seeing Aarush be so reluctant to enter the chamber, Shreya stepped her foot within the confines of the room. Two arch-shaped windows boarded shut but fashioned of glass and a metal grill allowed mellow illumination to flit through, the translucent material of the glass preventing her from discerning what lay beyond. Dust covered every inch of the floor and thick cobwebs spun by gigantic spiders hung from the ceilings and the walls. It was a small square-shaped room with no other piece of furniture or ornamentation embellishing it, but that one marble seat, shaped like a throne, withered over time and cracked on the edges, lay between the two windows opposite the door.

"Wow," she muttered. "This is that idiotic princess's room."

"Shreya!"

Aarush's gruff admonition echoed in the empty chamber and the bare antechamber, and Shreya could only roll her eyes in response as her arms locked in front of her chest. "Such affection for a dead woman who was not even loyal to the throne or the prince," she mumbled under her breath. "Apparently I carry her essence, but he is the one protective about her maligned reputation."

Though Aarush didn't catch her, Jagdish did, and quite clearly so. A grin cracked on his face as he peered around the room. "Once Rajshri is here, we can get started. But before that," he sauntered outside, "I will fetch the requisite materials needed for the ritual."

With his thudding footsteps resonating in the vast emptiness of the corridors as he left the two by themselves, she swerved around to peek at the disappointment and the hint of fury in Aarush's countenance.

"Don't you wanna come in?"

He pursed his lips. "Nope."

"Why? You are always so taken by the dead woman. Why not explore her room? Must be a dream come true for you." She giggled. "Come on in, Aarush."

His bloodshot eyes locked with hers, and all joviality died in her throat and a gasp escaped her mouth. She didn't know why he was so despondent or why he was so furious at the moment. She didn't understand if it was something she did or if it was some fable of Meera that he recollected and felt overwhelmed. She didn't comprehend if it had anything to do with Adya and the stunt the girls pulled the previous day or if it was the suspicion he had about Dharamraj's sudden decision to wed and not let anyone know. But Shreya knew one thing very clearly. Aarush Chauhan was too suffocated and too disconcerted being in the vicinity of Meera's room.

With careful steps, she started walking towards the door, her gaze fixated on how he went back to peering at his shoes with his features scrunched up as if he was in physical agony, his feet tapping the floor, and his hands behind his back. "Aarush," her voice trembled when she allowed her arms to fall to her sides, "are you okay?"

"Hmmm."

She gulped and was about to ask more questions about his behaviour, but her gaze fell on the blotches of red on his white shirt, barely hidden by the black jacket of the suit he wore that morning. Her eyes widened, and she rushed up to him, holding him by his arms. "Is that blood? Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

He was taken aback by the warmth and the concern in her voice. Her enlarged eyes with solicitude swimming in them—for him, only for him—had him captivated, and he didn't even realize when his hands went to hold her wrists. "I am fine," he murmured. "It's not blood. Aakarsh was clumsy enough to spill watermelon juice on me during the meeting."

She let out a breath of relief and shook her head in annoyance. "See how incapable your inner circle is! You should let me in."

He chuckled, and all his woes lay forgotten and abandoned on a side. "I think it's safe to say you are already in the inner circle. You are the one standing here. No one else."

She beamed at his comment and took a step back. "Come on in, Mr. Chauhan."

He was unsure if he should enter or not, but the conviction in her gaze and the vivacious smile on her face made him misremember everything as he strolled inside and took a look around. The barren walls, the naked floor, the dirty ceiling, and the marble throne—every bit of the chamber reeked of antiquity and the vibrant spirit of the once bubbly and charming girl. A part of his brain was registering what Shreya was saying about her parents back in San Francisco, but the other part of his brain was shutting the girl's chatter, for a powerful and potent memory floated in the back of his mind.

She giggled as she ran away from him and loitered in front of the door to her chamber while the grinning man caught up with her only in the antechamber. "You can see for yourself, Your Highness. I am quite nimble."

He tightened his grip on the hilt of the sword in his hands. "Glad to see you are getting better with darting away. Probably you can just run from danger when the enemy attacks."

She pursed her lips at the derision in his tone and the mockery in his eyes. "I am not going to run away. That's not what I was taught by Her Majesty. I will fight them."

His brows quirked up. "Fight them? How so?"

"With this sword of yours." She batted her lashes. "I will stab them and gouge their eyes out."

His brows went up and up as a smirk played on his lips. "Do you even know how to hold this sword without toppling over?"

He had to blink his eyes a few times to get rid of the bleariness. Shreya was still blabbering without a care in the world as she pirouetted around the room. Again, the same thing happened with the prince. One moment he could see the gorgeous princess with the pink blush on her cheeks scowling and grimacing at him for his insolent remark while in the following moment, he could perceive the yapping girl prancing about with that generous smile etched on her stunning features. His breath hitched in his throat, and he stared at his shoes.

No! He needed to get a hold of himself. He had urgent matters to tend to and he had no time nor the inclination to reminisce memories of the yore that any way tormented him enough to tear him apart.

***

Jagdish had a bag of ingredients needed for the ritual in his hands, and he dusted the marble throne before taking out the accessories one by one and placing them in a line on the seat. He had a frown between his brows as he meticulously organized every component, checking and rechecking every now and then, referring to the notes on his phone, and mumbling under his breath to ensure he had everything he needed. Finally, he extricated a small red pouch lined with velvet from his pocket. "And there goes," he extracted an ancient gold bangle embellished with emeralds from the pouch, "Meera's favourite piece of jewellery."

Shreya leaned her back against one of the dirt-ridden walls, letting the cobwebs adorn her hair and the back of her yellow kurti. "And how do you know it was Meera's favourite?"

Jagdish shot a furtive glance at Aarush. He was busy interacting with Dr. Roshni, asking her about the health status of the child and the mother while Rajshri was seated comfortably on a metal chair arranged for her as she looked up at the prince with nothing short of undying loyalty and devotion. Sighing, Jagdish said, "We just do."

Shreya's eyes narrowed at the lines of worry on the head priest's forehead. "You guys know a lot about a dead princess, who, by the way, did not leave a journal behind. But you never learned where this artefact is?"

Aarush overheard her and ambled towards Jagdish and the girl. "In her last days, she was able to figure out what the artefact was and where it lay hidden. However, she was confined to her chambers with no access to the rest of the royal family. She couldn't interact with them, and no one apart from her handmaiden was supposed to talk to her. She strived to get the word out as securely as she could. She knew where the relic was. The ritual could be conducted to fetch the artefact and break the curse, but her numerous letters beseeching the royal family and the prince to hold one conversation with her were ignored." He pursed his lips. "Not an idiotic princess she was, no. The prince was a complete fool to not pay heed to the string of letters arriving for him in the dead of night from his princess. To keep the information concealed and safe, the letters never mentioned why she needed to see him, and he was so stupid to not discern the anxiety behind the frantic..." He gulped and looked away. "The handmaiden," he suspired, "later apprised the royal family, well after Meera perished, that the princess had been able to locate the relic and couldn't communicate, thereby rendering the curse unbreakable yet again. The prince," he chuckled humorlessly and glanced at the ceiling, "rues it to this day."

Shreya frowned at the ending remark but chose to not comment on it. "Jeez, Aarush! She committed such a sin by falling in love."

Aarush didn't miss the sarcasm in her tone. "In those days," he whispered, "betrothal carried a lot of weight. It was not easy to break it off. She was... she was not..."

"Courageous enough." She rolled her eyes. "And that's why I call her a coward." Before he could lash out at her, she flashed her eyes at him, for he had only just opened his mouth. "Hush hush, Princey! Yes, she was a coward, but she was also a sweet girl who fell in love and couldn't unite with her paramour because the prince and the royal family couldn't see past their ego and their so-called decorum."

Aarush's nose flared in anger, and he gaped at his shoes, his jaws clenching.

Jagdish cleared his throat, sensing the drop in temperature and the fury bubbling in the royal's heart. "Dr. Roshni, the vial please."

Once Roshni handed the vial of blood and walked back to Rajshri, Aarush let go of his anger and edged closer to the high priest. "Rajshri is not lying, is she?"

Jagdish peeked at the woman, scrutinizing her intently. She was wiping a drop of sweat from her brows "Rajshri is indeed Dharamraj's wife."

Aarush respired sharply. "Get the ritual done quickly. I don't want to stand here any more than necessary. It's," his lips quivered and his voice came out croaky, "very suffocating."

The conversation steered in a different direction when Jagdish announced that they ought to begin. Shreya eyed the vial carrying fresh, warm blood from Rajshri's baby tucked in Jagdish's palms, and she instantly looked away. The rumbling in her stomach and the unease she experienced had everything to do with the fluid. She was squeamish and uncomfortable, which didn't go disregarded by a keenly vigilant prince.

Shreya saw all the ingredients for the ritual on the marble seat, and another question was at the tip of her tongue. "What all do you need for this?"

Aarush huffed in exasperation, but the high priest was visibly excited as his eyes shone with exuberance.

Rubbing his palms, Jagdish giggled. "I am glad you asked, Shreya. We need the most important elements making up our mortal bodies. Earth," he pointed towards the ball of dry mud on the seat, "water," he gestured towards a bottle of the clear liquid, "fire," he gesticulated at the small earthen lamp that was lit and whose flame flickered with the movements of his hands, "air," he motioned around himself, "and the sky above us." He pushed one of the panes of the window behind him and signalled at the slice of the blue sky visible to them. "The Pancha Tatva or the five elements that our bodies are composed of, that the universe is made of. And we need anything materialistic close to Meera's heart. That is where the gold bangle comes into the picture. We also require blood that had once run through her veins, and, finally," he beamed, "we need the location where she took her last breath, i.e., her chambers. Oh, and we also need you to feel the baby's heartbeats because it is not born yet. So... yes."

Shreya's mouth hung open, and she squeaked as a sudden chill passed through her body. "You mean to say Meera died in this chamber?"

Aarush clicked his tongue. "Yes."

Her eyes widened beyond measure. "Do you mean to say her ghost can haunt us?" she squealed, flailing her arms and legs.

Aarush peeked at her with utter disinterest and scoffed at her histrionics. "Her spirit resides in you. She cannot haunt you. Unless you haunt us."

Relief spread through her body, and she sighed, but she did end up tittering at his comment. "Funny, Princey. You are funny."

Jagdish said, "Place your palms on the baby, Shreya. Feel its heartbeats."

Dr. Roshni took the cue and used her stethoscope to sense where the baby's heart was inside Rajshri's womb, and once she located the spot, she held Shreya's hand and carefully placed it over the woman's belly.

Shreya hunkered down and had her fingers quivering as her palms glided over the expanse of the grey saree Rajshri was wearing. "I... I don't feel any heartbeat."

Dr. Roshni smiled wide. "You are at the right spot."

Shreya gulped and licked her lips. "And what do I need to do?"

Jagdish shrugged. "Once I start chanting the mantras, you can concentrate."

"On what?"

"You will get a vision of sorts, and you will be able to see what Meera knew."

Shreya's eyes widened again. "I was right," she muttered under her breath. "It's a cult. They are a cult. They worship the demon. I am stuck here with no way out."

Aarush caught her furious whispers, and a grin broke out on his face. "Yes, Princess. We worship the demon. You should not have stayed back. You fell for the web of lies we created. Now, we will initiate you into our cult via the blood ritual, and you will never go back home. You are trapped with me for the rest of your life."

She pursed her lips and rolled her eyes. "And who is spouting nonsense now?"

He snickered. "Teasing you is fun! It's fun!"

She flashed her eyes at him. "I hate you!"

The grin refused to ebb away from his rugged features. "I think it's quite the opposite, Miss Awasthy." Winking at her, he centred his attention on Jagdish.

Her lips parted in disbelief once she made sense of his statement, and heat crept up her neck. She quickly hid her burning cheeks with the locks of her hair and frowned at the floor. "Stupid Princey!"

Jagdish began chanting the mantras, and all of it was incomprehensible to Shreya. But she didn't let her attention waver as she smiled at Rajshri and had her soft fingers run over the same spot on the woman's stomach. The high priest advanced towards them without breaking the chain of chanting and poured the blood all over Shreya's hands.

She swallowed hard and looked down, but Jagdish's commanding voice pulled her concentration to him.

"Look at me, Shreya!"

And she did. As soon as her gaze locked with the ferocity in Jagdish's eyes, he jabbed his middle finger at the centre of the girl's forehead, and she gasped in surprise.

"Concentrate at this spot." His voice rumbled and thundered in the hall. "Close your eyes and focus on the infamous third eye. A spot of spiritual contemplation, a region from where you perceive things beyond the ordinary. Inexplicable. Mystic. Arcane. Focus!"

She had tons of questions running in her mind, but she did not have the guts to override the seemingly powerful man's orders. His very aura was too potent for her to think anything else, and she gulped, shutting her eyes and immersing herself in the world of darkness. The mantras droned on and on in her ears, emanating from the mouth of the high priest in his gruff and deep voice, echoing off the walls of the ancient chamber.

Until his voice began receding, and she could tell he was moving away from her. She wished to open her eyes and see for herself why his inflection sounded so feeble, but something was keeping her engaged in the dark vastness. The nothingness in which she peeked at. The void where only Jagdish's cadence occasionally boomed. And finally, those pair of attractive orbs that she could see in front of her. They were glossy. There was kohl underlining the eyes. Tears were oozing out, and Shreya was very, very inquisitive to comprehend the reason behind the briny fluid.

Until she saw herself in front of a mirror. But... it was not even her. The girl standing in front of the mirror was weeping, but instead of the tank tops she always adorned, the girl was wearing a traditional Rajasthani ensemble—gaudy and ostentatious. The amaranthine hue on her cheeks and the crimson colour of her nose glimmered under the faint lights of the open flame from the earthen lamp placed on the floor of the chamber. The very chamber where Shreya was sitting in front of the pregnant woman. But this looked clean. Squeaky clean. And the marble throne was not cracked and creviced. It looked so new, so pristine and white, so breathtaking.

Her attention went back to the lachrymose woman, and strangely enough, she could tell what was going on in the girl's mind. She was thinking about the relic that lay hidden from the plain sight of one and all.

Deep within the confines of the palace.

The very fort where it all began

The very place where death and birth had been playing a strange melancholic tryst with destiny.

For centuries.

Once the jumbled morass of information overwhelmed Shreya, her eyes snapped open and her heart had all the details the royal family needed.

And as soon as she stood up, something deep within the very fabric of Suryagarh stirred alive...

***